Valentín Gavidia Catalán

La transversalidad y la escuela promotora de salud

The following article shows the evolution of the schools contribution to the Health Education of children and young people. Moving on from the traditional concept of health, today, Health Education has a general and global meaning, wich encompasses all of the physical, psicological and social aspects of health. These aspects define the characteristics of the «Healthy School». The need to broach the «transversal subject» offers schools the possibility of developing «transversality» in the Health Education. Finally, the concept of promoting health defines, together with the other subjects, that which we understand by «the heath promotion schools», which attempts to progress the full integration of schools in the society in which they are located.

La educación para la salud en los manuales escolares españoles

Fundamento: El manual escolar, o libro de texto, es el instrumento educativo mas utilizado por el profesorado. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer como se contempla la Educacion para la Salud en los textos de la ensenanza primaria y secundaria. Es de suma importancia para averiguar su implantacion en las aulas, asi como ofrecer puntos de reflexion para los autores y editores de los textos y para el profesorado y el personal sanitario que asiste a las escuelas. Metodo: El analisis se ha efectuado en 297 libros de texto, de los que 123 corresponden a la educacion primaria, 149 a la secundaria obligatoria y 25 al bachillerato. El estudio atiende a cinco aspectos: 1) Presencia o ausencia de la Educacion para la Salud; 2) Temas de salud considerados; 3) Nivel de salud que desarrollan; 4) Incardinacion en la asignatura o tratamiento transversal, y 5) Aspectos metodologicos. Para cada uno de estos aspectos se han definido una serie de criterios de analisis que permiten contemplar su nivel de desarrollo. Resultados: El 63% de los libros analizados presentan temas relativos a la Educacion para la Salud. Los temas mas tratados se refieren a cuestiones de higiene (39,5%), seguidos de la alimentacion (26,5%). El concepto de salud mas presente es el de ausencia de enfermedad (36,9%) y el de estado de bienestar (20%). Algo mas de la mitad de los textos que tratan la salud ofrecen actividades de aprendizaje, aunque puntuales y aisladas (57,7%). La metodologia que mas utilizan es la exposicion informativa (32,4%), sin atender a los contenidos procedimentales ni a criterios actitudinales. Conclusiones: Los actuales manuales escolares no constituyen un referente suficiente ni un recurso adecuado para que el profesorado desarrolle la Educacion para la Salud en el aula, ya que no le prestan atencion suficiente, a pesar de ser considerada materia transversal y, cuando lo hacen, sus orientaciones no movilizan actitudes y conductas.

Percepção corporal de adolescentes em ambientes escolares - doi:10.5020/18061230.2011.p390

Objective: To assess body perception of teenagers in school environments. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study in a secondary public school from the city of Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, with students from the ninth grade, aged 14 to 16 years old, independent of sex, from March to June, 2009. The first phase consisted of the selection of ten students, using a schematic drawing of the human body. In the second phase, there was a focal group with guiding questions about body awareness and desire for change. Results: For the students, the idea of good posture would be a person who had good education and to be straight when walking and sitting. We perceived dissatisfaction and important misunderstanding in relation to their body and posture, and there was unanimity concerning the desire of achieving changes. Conclusion: There are mixed feelings related to the body, by teenage students, when you inquire about their image and desire to change. If, on one hand, they refer to perceive themselves with proper and correct posture, on the other hand, they are eager for change, easily identified with present standard body reported in the media and worshiped as “ideal body”. It is urgent and necessary to consolidate the culture of health promotion in schools as well as build healthy educational environment.